I need help to lose the weight, and fast.

[Amine999]

Ok here's my situation, I've been trying to lose weight for over 4 years, but I always lost my motivation or dedication because of what was around me (friends not giving a **** how I look, having fun despite my appearance, etc) but lately I've realized that I can't go on like this, at all.

I'm 18 years old, 5'8" and ~223 lbs.

So last summer, me and some friends made a bet once I ran my mouth again about me losing weight "for sure", so they said I was all talk, and then one of us there had suggested we made a bet, the bet started at 100$, 50 each, and I'm alone betting against 2 friends, then another one joined for 20$, and then another for 50$. The bet now stands at 170$, and here's the conditions:

I have to weight 175 lbs by August 30th. I started the bet at 248, and I'm currently hovering over 223. I have exactly 5 months left, and need to lose 48 more pounds.

I believe it's possible, most of my friends don't (for obvious reasons, they want to win the bet lol), but most co-workers at the Ymca where I work believe it's possible. I'm also using a hybrid drug fat burner called "Ripped Freak". It helped me before, but I didn't stick to it and used it on and off whenever I felt like it, I saw a difference with using and not using the pills, but not enough of a difference for me to actually have stopped being an idiot and started to use them seriously. So anyways, I started using them last thursday, and I rest on weekends.

I use to just do the elliptical cardio machine (as I can't run, I'm too heavy for my knees) and I usually do 3 sets (the exercise caps at 30 mins) so an hour and a half, I normally lose between 240 to 280 calories per set. So at the end of my work out, I usually lose about 750+ calories. When I feel energized or want to feel energized, I do 5 sets or if I can't, I take a 5-hour Energy bottle (those small little energy boost drinks) and do my 5 sets.

But the problem with just cardio is, I'm not losing enough weight, I need to be -175 by August 30th, and it's a great motivation drive for me along with wanting a new and better life where I'm not the center of all the fat jokes and trolling.

So if you think about it, the healthy amount of weight you should lose in a week is 1 to 3, if I were to lose 3 lbs. a week, in 1 month (4 weeks) that would be 12 pounds, 12 pounds a month, in 5 months, is 60 lbs.

So even around 2 lbs. a week would still work, ~8 lbs. a month, in 5 months its ~40 lbs. So if I were to lose just 2 pounds in certain weeks, this could still work.

Now, for diet, I only and mainly eat vegetables, people have recently told me to stop eating rice, so now I only take a very little bit if at all. I usually eat lean meat like chicken breasts and beef steak along with salmon and a few other fishes.

Vegetables I eat (like, I'm listing what I know I've eaten since the start of the bet last summer): Broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, corn, peas, carrots, green beans and red/green peppers.

Fruits I eat: Apples, oranges, bananas, occasionally strawberries, kiwis and grapes.

Drinks: Water, Milk, and only rarely sodas like Diet Mountain Dew.

Other foods: Whole wheat/grain bread, rice and that's about it.

This is what I eat, and what I do, but I mostly need your help, as for weight training, I'd need the best work-out plan possible.

I'll come back and update if there's any info I missed as I am late and need to be at the Y right now.

[SuffolkPunch]

Google: protein sparing modified fast. This plus a low volume weight training program is all you need.

Your diet as it stands is terrible. You have very little protein and not enough fat with all the emphasis on carbs from what I can see. Carbs are the one macronutrient that is NOT essential to your body.

To give you an idea, your diet will probably look like this:

Meal 1 (noon): chicken breast, salad, fish oil tablets
Meal 2 (evening): chicken breast, vegetables, fish oil tablets

[Retoaded]

Google: protein sparing modified fast. This plus a low volume weight training program is all you need.

Your diet as it stands is terrible. You have very little protein and not enough fat with all the emphasis on carbs from what I can see. Carbs are the one macronutrient that is NOT essential to your body.

To give you an idea, your diet will probably look like this:

Meal 1 (noon): chicken breast, salad, fish oil tablets
Meal 2 (evening): chicken breast, vegetables, fish oil tablets

this. if you are within a pound or two at the end, take a laxative and a diuretic. kidding. kinda.

[Nirul]

Here's what my doctor told me. The number one best thing you can do to lose weight is watching your diet. You don't want to starve yourself because that slows down your metabolism, but you still want to be careful the number of calories you intake. Yes that's the same lecture everyone gives blah blah blah... but what you don't hear is the math to it. Research your metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn in one day without doing anything. The trick is to consume less calories than that rate, and I believe the math he gave me was every 500 calories of reduction per day equates to 1 lb of fat loss per week, don't quote me on that exact number, but that's the idea of it. My doctor said 'do not' go to 1500 calories or below as that's when your metabolism will begin to slow down. Now keep in mind that 1lb of fat loss per week per daily caloric reduction is without doing 'anything' exercise-wise.

That is the key to losing weight, because exercise only adds to what you lose.

For example, I am 6'2" and weigh 250lbs. When I research my metabolic rate, I get averages of around 2800 calories. My current diet is set for 1800 calories which means I will be burning 2 lbs of fat per week without any action on my part. Now I have a strong workout routine going for me to supplement this diet (and yes, 1800 calories is enough to maintain a strong routine). I have only been following this plan for 2 and a half weeks now, but I've already seen a 7 pound difference (not counting the fluctuations of weight due to the amount of water I intake to support the exercises I am doing).

I'm not claiming to be an expert, don't get me wrong. I'm simply giving suggestions to someone with a similar goal as mine =)

[Amine999]

Here's what my doctor told me. The number one best thing you can do to lose weight is watching your diet. You don't want to starve yourself because that slows down your metabolism, but you still want to be careful the number of calories you intake. Yes that's the same lecture everyone gives blah blah blah... but what you don't hear is the math to it. Research your metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn in one day without doing anything. The trick is to consume less calories than that rate, and I believe the math he gave me was every 500 calories of reduction per day equates to 1 lb of fat loss per week, don't quote me on that exact number, but that's the idea of it. My doctor said 'do not' go to 1500 calories or below as that's when your metabolism will begin to slow down. Now keep in mind that 1lb of fat loss per week per daily caloric reduction is without doing 'anything' exercise-wise.

That is the key to losing weight, because exercise only adds to what you lose.

For example, I am 6'2" and weigh 250lbs. When I research my metabolic rate, I get averages of around 2800 calories. My current diet is set for 1800 calories which means I will be burning 2 lbs of fat per week without any action on my part. Now I have a strong workout routine going for me to supplement this diet (and yes, 1800 calories is enough to maintain a strong routine). I have only been following this plan for 2 and a half weeks now, but I've already seen a 7 pound difference (not counting the fluctuations of weight due to the amount of water I intake to support the exercises I am doing).

I'm not claiming to be an expert, don't get me wrong. I'm simply giving suggestions to someone with a similar goal as mine =)

Ok, well, just to get that out of the way, I don't starve myself, but I never feel hungry, when I feel hungry, truly hungry, is when I haven't eaten anything for like say 6~8 hours, otherwise, it's my mind being used to boredom-eating and emotional-eating throughout the day, so I just cast away that hunger as I know it is not genuine.

My metabolic rate as of now is 2200 calories. I know that my calorie intake in one day is less than 1500. Much less on some days.

[Amine999]

this. if you are within a pound or two at the end, take a laxative and a diuretic. kidding. kinda.

A friend of mine told me I should take a laxative the day the bet is over. But, are diuretics safe to take? Because I DO want to expel all fluids out of my body on the last day.

[Nirul]

My metabolic rate as of now is 2200 calories. I know that my calorie intake in one day is less than 1500. Much less on some days.

Now like I said before, this could cause problems, because as I said 1500 calories and below is when your body's metabolism has to slow down. It slows itself down so it 'doesn't' burn those calories so quickly in order to keep it going. This for one means not only are you burning at a slower rate, but also if you ever increase your consumption when you get hungry, you will not burn it at a normal rate because your body is so used to slow burning calories that your caloric intake in a sense would be 'doubled'. Not that you're actually consuming double calories but your body will treat it as though you are. The optimal metabolic range for weight loss is decreased caloric intake so that your 2200 calorie burning metabolism is burning whatever your intake is rapidly, but also keeping it above 'the brink' so that your body continues burning that 2200 calories.

[SuffolkPunch]

The idea of low calories causing metabolic slow down is overstated and most results can be accounted for by reduction in things like TEF (thermale effect of feeding) and reduced body mass.

If you are worried, have controlled cheat meals - high in carbs to restore leptin levels.

[trickytrip]

Sweat, sweat and more sweat. If you are really ONLY eating and drinking what you say, you should be able to drop 2 pounds a week by going to the gym everyday and doing a combo of weights and cardio. I will say this for whey protein, I love the stuff, I haven't been able to make it to the gym in a week but increased my whey protein intake and have lost 2.7 lbs this week. I do some exercises but nothing like what is at the gym. Swimming is a good non impact activity, the pool is where I do my crunches because of a back injury, I use all of the same muscles without the stress on my back and neck. If you want to do it you will.

[Amine999]

Google: protein sparing modified fast. This plus a low volume weight training program is all you need.

Your diet as it stands is terrible. You have very little protein and not enough fat with all the emphasis on carbs from what I can see. Carbs are the one macronutrient that is NOT essential to your body.

To give you an idea, your diet will probably look like this:

Meal 1 (noon): chicken breast, salad, fish oil tablets
Meal 2 (evening): chicken breast, vegetables, fish oil tablets

Well, I know my diet's not the best, but whenever I aim to lose weight, since I'm not a dietitian or know LOTS of things about nutrition, I just eat what I know is healthy, so fruits, vegetables, lean meat, whole grain foods and water/milk.

As for the PSMF thing, I'm gonna use this, can you tell me if it's accurate or right information? thesteaksarehigh[DOT]com/2007/05/an_awesome_guy_.html

Also thinking of trying the Keto Diet, would it be helpful to me given my situation?

[SuffolkPunch]

Well, I know my diet's not the best, but whenever I aim to lose weight, since I'm not a dietitian or know LOTS of things about nutrition, I just eat what I know is healthy, so fruits, vegetables, lean meat, whole grain foods and water/milk.

As for the PSMF thing, I'm gonna use this, can you tell me if it's accurate or right information? thesteaksarehigh[DOT]com/2007/05/an_awesome_guy_.html

Also thinking of trying the Keto Diet, would it be helpful to me given my situation?

Everyone thinks "healthy" is a list of foods... but the names of your foods are not relevant, it's what they contain that matters. "healthy" is correct balance of macro and micronutrients. For full details, read this:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981

PSMF is a more extreme form of keto.

You will also find that avoiding carbs gives you an extra weight reduction - so just don't eat carbs within a week of your weigh in.

As for the link you posted, I would eat meat twice a day and avoid using shakes as much as possible.

[DJ_Forty5]

Get new friends. They sound like dicks for betting against their friend....take your time and lose the weight correctly. Surround yourself with people who are supportive and your efforts will be rewarded.

[garipper]

This is something I have a lot of experience in; I lost 60 pounds in about 3.5 months by eliminating carbs, and eating small meals throughout the day. A lot of people talk bad about low-carb diets, but I by cutting out breads and sugar I dropped from 265 to 205 and my blood pressure dropped from dangerous levels to only slightly higher than normal.

I started off doing just walking in November where walking more than a mile in thirty minutes left me too winded to move, and by March ( 4 months exactly) I completed my first 5K in 38:23. Now I'm doing Insanity, and am actually able to get through the videos doing most of the exercises.

Something else that helped me stick with it was logging my progress on my blog. Holding myself accountable not just to myself but to my peers also had the added effect of them keeping track, offering encouragement, and also inspiring them to get healthy as well. So I would definitely suggest doing that as well.

Please check out my blog for more information about what I've been doing, it's in my signature and I'll put it here too: garipper.wordpress.com

[schnitzer31]

start off by eating 500 calories below maintenance and slowly decrease that number as time passes by or when progress stalls.read the stickies for a good lifting routine and do plenty of cardio since that will help to lose the weight faster.make sure you're counting your calories correctly and definitely maintain your protein intake high.at the moment im cutting and ive been doing a low carb diet (less than 90g carbs a day) with refeeds on weekends and the fat is melting off.however everyone is different.controlling your sodium intake and drinking loads of water (1 gallon/day min.) will definitely help.the first 20lbs will drop relatively easy.when progress stalls,reduce your calories and increase the intensity of your workouts.good luck with your cut.

[filpula]

check the site for plans!!